Argonath RPG - A World of its own
Argonath RPG Community => Speakerbox => Topic started by: Cross on September 09, 2008, 01:53:52 pm
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Source, Wikipedia, Amazon and random forums.
Apparently the folks at Electronic Arts want me to become a software pirate. You may recall that I refused to purchase the PC release of Bioshock because the SecuROM DRM it contained would actually disable some perfectly legitimate troubleshooting software on my PC out of fear that I might use it to crack the game. It also limited you to 10 installs before you had to “reactivate†the game over the Internet and, as someone who restages his PC often, that was too much of an intrusion.
Now word comes down that the critically acclaimed RPG Mass Effect will also make use of SecuROM with a limit of 3 installs and a requirement that it phone home every 10 days to reactivate itself. Apparently the same will also be true of Spore:
The Sims controversy
The Sims 2 and some of its add-ons had previously used SafeDisc for copy protection until April 2007. Electronic Arts replaced SafeDisc with SecuROM v 7.x software protection since, beginning with The Sims Pet Stories. This includes The Sims Castaway Stories, The Sims 2 Deluxe, The Sims 2: H&M Fashion Stuff, The Sims 2: Bon Voyage, The Sims 2: Teen Style Stuff, The Sims 2 Double Deluxe, The Sims 2: FreeTime, The Sims 2: Kitchen & Bath Interior Design Stuff, The Sims 2: IKEA Home Stuff, and The Sims 2: Apartment Life. Claimed problems relating to SecuROM include prevention of proper launching of games, disabling of CD/DVD/Blu-ray disc burners, and disruption of antivirus programs. Some users have reported severe damage caused by SecuROM, resulting in system failures that required complete system reformats to fix. EA attempted to address some of these concerns on the official website. Despite user complaints, EA plans to continue employing SecuROM and its future versions in their future releases.
Mass Effect controversy
In May 2008 EA announced that Mass Effect for the PC would be using SecuROM 7.x requiring a reactivation of the software every 10 days.[4] Due to a massive outpouring of complaints EA removed the 10-day activation while keeping SecuROM tied to the installation. SecuROM's product activation facility was still used to impose a limit of three times that a customer is allowed to activate the copy of Mass Effect they purchased. The game becomes unplayable after the activations are used up, until EA's customer support is contacted to reset the activation limit. Unlike Bioshock, uninstalling the game does not refund a previously used activation.[5]
Spore controversy
On September 7, 2008 EA released Spore using SecuROM. Public reaction has been swift and sharp, fueled by a grassroots campaign to flood Spore's comments page on Amazon with one star reviews (the lowest possible rating). As of September 8th 2008, there are over 1,031 reviews total with 1 star ratings. A vast majority of these comments cite SecuROM as the main reason for the low rating
With the exception of the (similarly plagued) MASS EFFECT, I never post reviews before actually using a product first-hand. What urged me to post this warning on SPORE was the unbelievable information leaked this week about this game. And it was what made me cancel my PreOrder of the game.
LIMITED INSTALLS? Well, we can thank BIOSHOCK for introducing and opening THAT can of worms - but hasn't anyone at EA heard how hard BIOSHOCK's PC sales were hit by that disastrous decision? How ridiculous their customer community office had to become to explain such hostile measures to their own customers? History does indeed repeat itself as a farce...
And, let me guess: exactly like BIOSHOCK, there will be IRREMOVABLE FOLDERS placed in our systems' Root that will effectively revoke our Administrator rights to our own PCs!
WEEKLY ONLINE AUTHENTICATIONS - FOREVER? What does EA thinks they are selling? NASA's trajectory software? I recently bought ADOBE's CREATIVE SUIT 3 (a much more expensive software than a PC game mind you) and it required only an initial activation.
What will happen after an unavoidable format? What about if you find yourself between internet providers for some days or your system crashes? There is no end to the ridiculous problems stemming from such a "security scheme". What were they thinking at EA? Were they thinking at all - or did they outsource that function to miser accountants?
In the end it boils down to this: who actually will be owning my copy? Are we to pay £35 only to...RENT this from its publisher - and be pestered with the weekly need to prove our purchase FOREVER? And what makes this even harder to understand: will such extreme measures actually prevent piracy? Well, they did not work for BIOSHOCK, why should they start working now?
So, one has to ask: what is next in store for customers that make the mistake of buying such a product? Chinese water torture? The Iron Maiden? Orwellian rat-masks? Guantanamo?
NO THANKS! No game is worthy of such harassment!
I canceled my PreOrder today. I would advise any serious PC gamer to do the same.
BTW: check this: http://www.amazon.com/Spore-Pc/dp/B000FKBCX4/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1220969288&sr=8-1
Check the reviews
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Can someone make this a bit shorter.
I don't get it.
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I bought spore 5 september and have no problems whatsoever... :)
My brother installed it too and no problems either...
If you like the game then buy it and dont care about the security software...
It wont help getting it away.
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So what this text is basicly saying is: All games after 2008 need weekly reactivation? Or, you can only reinstall it 3 times?
Well I guess everyone is buying Xbox360's and PS3's from now on.. :|
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So what this text is basicly saying is: All games after 2008 need weekly reactivation? Or, you can only reinstall it 3 times?
Well I guess everyone is buying Xbox360's and PS3's from now on.. :|
For real, i aint gonna buy a game that i can only instal 3 times, or a game that i need to play every 10 days just to reff the CD key otherwise the game stops working.
BTW: check this: http://www.amazon.com/Spore-Pc/dp/B000FKBCX4/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1220969288&sr=8-1
Check the reviews
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Its stupid if you review a game and then rate it 1 star because of the security thing. So if the best game ever is made and it has Securom 7 it will have 1 star rating... Oh well
Some more news:
Securom... you can install the same key on 3 different computers (NOTE: different computers) ... this means... you basically get 3 CD keys. Which means your brother and sister can use one too.
I dont know if they expire after 10 days, but I dont think so. If you used a CD key, I think you can deactivate it in the folder of the game or with your ea account?
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I am sure this is crap and will never happen.
Else nobody will play computer games anymore, only the biggest dorks.
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if it does happen there will be a way round it :) there always is. give it a few months or even a week and they will find out how to counter act it:P
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I am sure this is crap and will never happen.
Else nobody will play computer games anymore, only the biggest dorks.
People are like protesting, they all download the game thanks to Reloaded who cracked the game 4 days before release.
EA just "fucks" the fair people who buy the game, while the real pirates are enjoying the game right now.
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People are like protesting, they all download the game thanks to Reloaded who cracked the game 4 days before release.
EA just "f**ks" the fair people who buy the game, while the real pirates are enjoying the game right now.
then become a pirate :) lol. I can say I've saved thousands of pounds.
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I dont see the problem :neutral:
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People are like protesting, they all download the game thanks to Reloaded who cracked the game 4 days before release.
EA just "f**ks" the fair people who buy the game, while the real pirates are enjoying the game right now.
I guess that's bad for the fair people, I'm from the real pirates :)
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then become a pirate :) lol. I can say I've saved thousands of pounds.
Yeah well i am always to carefull with viruses and other bullshit trying to nail my PC.
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Yeah well i am always to carefull with viruses and other bullshit trying to nail my PC.
Yeah, if you're not downloading from a secure website. I'm downloading from a swedish website that's totally secure, no torrents contains any kind of viruses or spyware programs. I've got my virus program from there, GTA SA, and much more. I've got over 200 movies downloaded and burned on CD from there.
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Yeah well i am always to carefull with viruses and other bullshit trying to nail my PC.
ah ok well. you got nothing to worry about =\. when downloading something read the comments 1st for information like if it has a virus or not. if there isn;t any when you download it scan it before you install it...if no virus install THEN scan again. if you get a virus from it just set your pc back a day by system restore. another thing, all keygens come out as viruses on some anti viruses so ignore that:P
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ah ok well. you got nothing to worry about =\. when downloading something read the comments 1st for information like if it has a virus or not. if there isn;t any when you download it scan it before you install it...if no virus install THEN scan again. if you get a virus from it just set your pc back a day by system restore. another thing, all keygens come out as viruses on some anti viruses so ignore that:P
Well yeah i sometimes downloaded something... :redface:
So i could scan the file of the game after instal or whole PC?
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You can scan everything you want and need, chose the area of the installed files and scan only them, no need to waste time scanning the whole PC :)
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Well yeah i sometimes downloaded something... :redface:
So i could scan the file of the game after instal or whole PC?
i would advise whole pc :P in case it was sneaky and installed that bit somewhere else
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Face it, there is absolutely nothing good about EA Games. Every single game they develop has major design flaws, and any games from other developers that they publish are very much screwed up. Their customer support is one of the worst ever, and they are now trying to buy Take Two, and then will make GTA complete bollocks.
Fact: There is nothing good about EA.
Except EA Sports. Maybe.
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I agree on the EA thing. Look at blizzard, they are far better than EA!
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Face it, there is absolutely nothing good about EA Games. Every single game they develop has major design flaws, and any games from other developers that they publish are very much screwed up. Their customer support is one of the worst ever, and they are now trying to buy Take Two, and then will make GTA complete bollocks.
Fact: There is nothing good about EA.
Except EA Sports. Maybe.
True, EA Sports is kinda good, EA sucks my balls tho... like the E is sucking my left ball while the A is like sucking the right.
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True, EA Sports is kinda good, EA sucks my balls tho... like the E is sucking my left ball while the A is like sucking the right.
which letter is sucking your middle ball? :P
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THANK GOD EA didn't did CS, Crysis or Call of Duty...
Otherwise, everyone would pirate those games...
But that thing about SecuROM it seems like EA is doing some scam to everyone download pirate game and arrest everyone, and get the money of the bounty.
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which letter is sucking your middle ball? :P
I lost that one :(
THANK GOD EA didn't did CS, Crysis or Call of Duty...
Otherwise, everyone would pirate those games...
But that thing about SecuROM it seems like EA is doing some scam to everyone download pirate game and arrest everyone, and get the money of the bounty.
Na they won't do that, its just a FAIL attempt.
And EA seems not to wanna listen to their players.
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Not gonna happend, if it gonna happend then im gonna buy a PS3 for sure.
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Not gonna happend, if it gonna happend then im gonna buy a PS3 for sure.
Its already happening, i just hope EA will use there fucking brains for a sec and listen to the angry players.
They spammed whole Amazon Spore Page with bad reviews on how SecuROM the game fucks.
Its already in the news at some news websites.
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Who kind of companies did it ?
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Who kind of companies did it ?
It started with Bioshock using it, then EA got a erection because of it and now they are using it also.
Man just google SecuROM Spore or Man Effect, check all the complains from people.
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EA is getting worse every second...
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EA is getting worse every second...
Then you are thanking god that Rockstar Games refused the millions that EA offered for it.
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Then you are thanking god that Rockstar Games refused the millions that EA offered for it.
TOO RIGHT mate!!
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Hate how EA backstabs there fans.
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Hate how EA backstabs there fans.
I doubt its because of backstabbing :)
But dont you think they gonna loose alot of money ?
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People will find a way past it probably... ;)
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I doubt its because of backstabbing :)
But dont you think they gonna loose alot of money ?
I hope it, so they change it.
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People will find a way past it probably... ;)
Maybe, and maybe not.
At the other side its good for the loyal gamers but for us it aint good :).
If they loose alot of money they gonna take that idea up in the arse :D
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In my opinion, either EA will remove the bloody thing, or they will lose enough money eventually (and I'm talking, years from now) that they will start selling off some of the good things EA has ruined (read: everything EA has ever bought) back to something that can make them good again.